1977 Buick Century - The Big Three

1/4The American Racing Salt Flat Special wheels measure 17x8 and 17x9 front to rear. The faux portholes are from an '06 Buick Lucerne.

The big three: paint, stance, and wheels. They're the three decisions that can make or break any car, and for some, they're the only ingredients required. That's the plan behind the small trend we call Slo Touring. Just pick any unique or typically underused fullsize car, give it the big three the right way, and you're instantly cruising in cool style, sans speed. If you're not planning on quarter-mile or road course use, spend your money where it counts-on the stuff guys see when you cruise by.

For some people, the more they stand out, the better. Anthony Pittari is just such a guy. He also owns a show-worthy '68 Chevelle but wanted something less overdone. Each day on his way to work, Anthony drove past a side street where a neglected '77 Buick Century was parked, and one day it dawned on him that here was the perfect ignored body style. He saw shades of muscle car and maybe a little grown-up Grand National, but most important, he saw a car that no one has properly hot-rodded.

Once he secured the 26,000-mile Century, Anthony took the approach that less is more. He got rid of all excess trim and gaudiness and distilled the lines to their most basic form. In doing that, all of a sudden we noticed how well-shaped and fastback-like the rear roof line is on these cars.

What's perhaps most fascinating about this car is how very stock it still is. There's no radical suspension, body, or interior work here. A slick paint job, well-chosen wheels, and a mild Buick big-block are really the only major deviations from stock. By making the right simple stylistic choices, Anthony polished a turd into something that redirects attention from standard hot rods and muscle cars at every event he attends and for far less money than some guys have in their interiors. Call it Slo Touring or just back-to-basics customizing, but there's a good lesson to be learned here.